Change in Plans
by october tuscany
Summary: Jessica's life is about to get turned upside down. She'll have to deal with her jealous, newly-acquired betrothed, and her own new-found rage. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: So I am completely obsessed with **_**Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side**_**. I love the book and I think it's the best vampire story I've come across. (I'll let you in on one of my secrets – I've tried reading **_**Dracula**_** and oh my god, I thought I was going to die, it was so boring.) **

**Hopefully this will turn out to be a full-length story, but it might not pan out like I want it to. Not to mention that I won't have a lot of time to work on it. But I fully begin with the intent of making it work, haha. **

**This story is AU.**

Change in Plans

There was a great deal of unrest in my country in the last twenty-three years. My parents did admit to me that they had had me at a very politically inconvenient time, but assured me that in no way was I a mistake. However, when I was at the age of ten the tenuous climate of our country intensified, and my parents thought it was for the best to send me to America to live with a couple that was probably their closest friends and their best-kept secret. No one knew that my parents had befriended mortals, and they were not inclined to let on about the relationship.

So I was sent to the Packwoods, who I had met on several occasions throughout my childhood, and who I consider to be my second parents, caring for them as I do for my own. My loyalty still remains with Romania, a good seven years later, but it's still very dangerous. The feud between the Dragomirs, my people, and the Vladescus, our sworn enemy, still rages on and our people fear for war.

I was sure that the request to return to Romania would not come for another few years yet, and for the most part, I was content with it. I've found that I like America for all its quirks. I have a best friend here, Mindy, and my pseudo-parents' home is comfortable. I do miss my real parents terribly, as I don't get many phone calls or letters during the year, but I find it bearable most days. I even had the very slightest beginning of a romantic relationship with a lovely young man named Jake. I was planning on attending college next year. I would have, of course, majored in Political Science, but it would have been more for the American experience, with the training as only an added bonus. I have had many tutors over the years, who conducted my lessons in diplomacy, languages, negotiations, self-defense, domestic and international issues, management of an estate, and all other areas of concern for the heir to a throne. My lessons would have continued through my college years.

But all of my plans changed the day that Lucius Vladescu and his exceedingly large ego arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: Aren't you all excited? It's exciting! I'm excited. I love new stories. Haha. Anyway, here's where the fun starts.**

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews!**

**And I forgot this in the last chapter! But I do not own **_**Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side**_** or any affiliated nonsense, etc, etc.**

**In case you were wondering, I make a lot of stuff up for this (hence, it's AU). Jessica knows what she is and who she is. There is a betrothal, but she doesn't think so at this point. **

Change in Plans, Chapter 2

It happened in the middle of the day on a sunny Saturday. Mindy and I were parked in a field on the edge of the Packwood's property. Lying on the hood of her truck, we come out here to think a couple of times a week. We go out when it's nice and drift into our own little worlds. We have been out in the rain before, lying out and screaming to the sky, "Why, God, why?" when the world just didn't seem to agree with us. The first time it happened we got soaked, Mindy ending up with pneumonia and I ended up telling her that I was a vampire princess.

On this day in particular she was giggling about her cute new crush, mostly to herself, but every so often she'd throw out a comment about how wonderful he was, what a great smile. I had my own things to think about, including my most current lesson in international economics. Math had always been my weakest subject, and trying to calculate across different countries' currency always gives me a headache.

The car was parked facing across one of our corn fields, so that Mindy would have to back out. She's not very good at it, so she tries to get in as much practice as she can. My house was about two miles down the road and in the half-mile driveway. It wouldn't take me very long to walk back, but Mindy is a regular person, so I ride back with her. Her company, while sometimes a bit trivial, makes me feel so nice. She's a great friend and a great listener. Her stories make me laugh and she's always there for me.

And that's why, when I saw a black figure flickering at the edge of the field, two miles away, I sat up from the hood of the truck. I sensed that there was something off about the man; with my exceptional sight I could tell it was a male, tall, and wearing a dark velvet coat, even on such a nice day. He walked with a purpose, almost as if he had some divine right to walk the land with such authority.

As I slid off the truck and walked slowly into the field, Mindy sat up.

"Jess, what in the world-"

I quickly spun around, grasping her arm. Looking back over my shoulder, I positioned myself between her and the man moving across the field towards us.

"Look, hon, I think you should drive on up to the house. Tell Mom that there's someone visiting out here with me. Tell her that she and Dad should come out and see us." I turned her towards her truck, opening up the door to the driver's side.

"Jess, if you think I'm leaving you out here with some creep-"

"Mindy. Focus. I need you to just do this for me. You know what I can do. You know that creepy dudes can't do anything to me. Just go tell my parents, and make sure they get out here soon." I had almost shoved her up into the cab of the truck by myself while she tried to argue with me. Slamming the door shut, I said, "Go, dear. My parents will want to make sure you're all right."

I shifted myself back into the field again to where I thought the dark man was coming up behind me and watched as my best friend backed out of the field and took off down the dirt road. As soon as I saw her make the turn onto the county road, I slowly turned around, expecting to see the man still halfway across the field.

But he wasn't.

He was two feet in front of me.

I steeled myself for a confrontation, using my regal training to try to make this man feel as belittled as possible. He was a good foot taller than me, with longish dark hair and extremely dark eyes, a smirk gracing his sophisticated mouth. My earlier observation was markedly correct, as he moved with a suave, entitled grace. When I had gotten a decent look at him, I realized what he was.

That's right, I said _what_.

Instinctively, my body slid into an offensive pose, something that was taught to me in my vampiric fighting classes. There are different stances for dealing with mortals and dealing with vampires. When dealing with mortals you have to reign in your strength and figure out how much force you can put behind your defense. That's key with mortals – never be on the offense, but use your defensive skills in such a way that you can escape them. With vampires it's an entirely different story. The field is leveled and you are back on an even footing, for the most part. But if your opponent is stronger than you, you're out of luck.

"Antanasia," He murmured, with that infernal smirk on his lips. One of his hands came around to land on the small of my back, the other to the back of my neck, yanking me tightly against his body.

"How dare you manhandle a member of the Dragomir royal line in this manner?" I practically growled, straining against his strong hold. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Feisty, just as they said you would be," he mused, lowering his face to my neck, nuzzling. "You are even more magnificent than I expected, though your attire leaves something to be desired."

At this point I hauled off and punched him as hard as I could in the jaw, which was the only part of his face I could really reach while he continued to molest my neck. His hand came up from my back, quick as lightning, and grasped my wrist, pulling it around my back again to arch my body against his even farther.

Smirking against the side of my neck, too close to my carotid artery for my liking, he murmured, "My name is Lucius Vladescu, and I'm here to claim what belongs to me." He brought his face up to mine, dark eyes glinting, and pressed his lips to my own. Ruthlessly plundering my mouth, he was dominating me. I fought back hard, pushing against him and pulling away, but his grip was like a vice. I hate to admit this, but he kept me pressed so close for such a long time, covering my mouth with his own and restricting my airflow, that I nearly fainted.

But if there's anything I hate more than the tyrannical Vladescus, it's feeling like a damsel in distress.

I put my mortal defense moves into practice, putting all of my force into a judo throw that launched him a good ten feet back.

"I don't care if you are the Prince of Darkness himself – you have no right to handle me with such intimacy. You'll not survive long when my family hears of this."

With a laugh he gracefully climbed into the standing position, moving towards me. "My darling, of course I have a right. We are, after all, betrothed."

My jaw dropped and my entire body froze with this bit of information he so arrogantly presented me with. Snapping out of my shock, I glared darkly and returned with, "You are a pretentious, lying prick."

He walked in a circuit around me; I glanced over my shoulders to keep him in view. His strides were too great for me to try to keep up with by turning my entire body.

"I assure you, sweet, that we are indeed betrothed to be married." Stopping behind me, his arm slid out again, resting his hand on my hip. I stepped away from him quickly, shaking off his hand. "I'd like to discuss the details with your lovely foster parents, though, as the history concerns themselves."

I turned to face those dark, burning eyes. "Fine, then. Follow me." I led him carefully through the field, back up towards my foster parents' home.

**A/n: I hate it. The end of the chapter, that is. The next one is all explain-y and stuff, so the loose ends of the AU-ness start to wrap up a bit.**

**Review if you want, I don't really care. I do this just to keep my writing skills active and my creativity still functioning. I hope you enjoy this story, though, because it is one of the nine attributed to the series, and I know that I would like to see more of them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Chapter Three is here. Unfortunately, this semester I probably won't have a lot of time to work on it. I'll try my best.**

**This chapter is really explanatory. Not too much action going on, but it's informative. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **_**Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side**_** is the property of Beth Fantasky. Belonging to her, I respect the rights attributed to the site and to her work.**

Chapter Three

Halfway to the house we met my foster parents, my father with a shotgun and my mother with an aluminum baseball bat. While handy in dealings with mortal creepers and criminals, they can hardly stand up to a fully-grown vampire.

"Jessica," my mother rushed to my side, throwing an arm around my shoulders, practically yanking me away from Lucius, "Are you all right, dear? Mindy's up at the house, she's practically in tears-"

My father, his shotgun leveled at Lucius' chest, cut her off, "Jess, who's this?"

Looking over my shoulder at the dark-haired vampire, I gave the formal introduction, such as I was taught to give as a hostess. Just to be a bit of a pain, I gave a small curtsey.

"Mother, Father, may I present his Highness, Lucius of the Vladescus? Highness, my foster parents the Packwoods."

He reciprocated with a much more formal bow of his own, showing off his skills as a courtesan. Extending his hand to my father around the shotgun, he said, "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Packwood. You have a lovely agricultural center here, and a pleasant family." He met my eyes with a smirk, shaking my father's hand. I glanced down at my feet before swinging my eyes up at his approach. My father had lowered the firearm, and was now permitting Lucius to come near my mother and me, his hand out to greet my mother. I recoiled from his hand, torn between wanting to protect the woman who had half-raised me and wanting to get away from the vile man in front of me.

"Mrs. Packwood, you are as lovely as the newspapers had shown you seven years ago." At his words, her face drained of color, a hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Mr. Vladescu, why don't we continue this conversation inside?" My mother reclaimed her grasp around my shoulders with the hand not covering her mouth and steered me back towards the house. Lucius followed behind her, and my father behind him.

[|…|]

Settling onto the couch in my foster parents' living room, Lucius sat down beside me, much too close for my comfort. When I tried to sidle across the cushion farther from him, his arm shot out around my shoulders, effectively staying me by his side. My mother, still in slight shock, sat down in her armchair by the empty fireplace. My father, on the other hand, approached us on the couch, the shotgun in front of him again.

"I understand that you're rank is impressive in your country, but this is my house, and you'll not restrain my daughter in any fashion. Release her." He glared at the vampire prince holding me close to his side.

With a dark smirk, Lucius slowly withdrew his arm from around me, lightly running his hand across my shoulder blades and through the ends of my hair.

"I mean no disrespect, Mr. Packwood."

I hurriedly slid from the couch and relocated to the seat on the other side of the fireplace, where my father usually sat to watch TV. The man himself sat down heavily on the other end of the couch from the vampire.

"Now, I suppose you'd like to know how I found my dear Antanasia?" Lucius glanced around at my mother, whose chin rested on the palm of the hand still covering her mouth as she leaned forward in her chair, my father, who kept the shotgun leveled across his knees, and at me. I practically trembled in anticipation and no small amount of fear.

"Please. Tell me where we went wrong. I feel so terrible that I have failed Mihalia…" my poor foster mother murmured against her fingers.

"You mustn't blame yourself, really, Irina," the infernal smirk was still on his face, because he knew, "I'm very good at what I do. I was trained in tracking specifically for this occasion. I knew that she had been smuggled out of the country, but there was such an uproar the night of her disappearance that no one could figure it out. You see, a mortal actress, the biggest thing out of Romania, disappeared that same night. There were copious amounts of blood in the woman's flat and the vampire families had to go through the ranks to see if one of their own had been involved in the supposed murder. I had come across articles on the subject when doing preliminary research on Antanasia's disappearance.

"Curious as I found the occasion, I dug a little deeper. And what do you suppose? Irina Ranghmir's body was never found. However, a Lena Gregarion boarded a train to Rome that night, about an hour after the "attack" at Ranghmir's apartment. And in a matter of days, an Elena Gregory was traveling from New York City on a train south to Philadelphia with who she claimed was her niece, a ten-year-old girl named Jessica.

"It only took about eight months to discover all of this. At the time I was fifteen and very much interested in the political workings of the feud between the Vladescu's and the Dragomir's. No one seemed to know where my counterpart had vanished to, the heir to the Dragomir's empire. I knew that she had to have gone somewhere far. So I began researching, and in the end, came up with Elena Packwood as my best lead. Of course, there are such things as coincidences in this world, and to check I had some of the shipments out of the Dragomir estate tracked. One of the packages, having gone through several channels, ended up at the house of the Packwoods, of Pennsylvania, and I knew that this was the place where the lovely heir was hidden.

"When I knew for sure that this was the correct young woman, I had a surveillance team set up. It was… beneficial to me to know what I was up against. How much training she was receiving, for example, and if she were to become a strong ruler. I had teams reviewing the footage and giving me regular updates.

"One night, about a year after beginning the surveillance, I went down to the viewing room because I couldn't sleep. I began watching a live-streaming video and was completely taken in. At fifteen, my dear Antanasia, you were quite charming. And I must say that in the years since you've grown so much more beautiful.

"And so, my dear, I'm here in your lovely United States of America to return you to Romania, where you will become my queen."

He was so completely at ease in my own home, practically lounging in his corner of the couch. My poor foster mother had hidden her face and slightly shook with tears and my father's face was ashen at the thought of our family being constantly watched. He must have felt that he had failed, in some aspect, to protect us.

"Tell me, Vladescu, how it is that we're betrothed? I still have no evidence of this commitment, as I certainly have not agreed. My parents would never force me to marry someone I didn't want." I had to try to salvage what I could of my foster parents' dignity and get him the hell out of my house.

His smirk widened considerably, darkening in intensity. "Now, darling, here's where it gets a little… complicated. You see, a few months ago, I began working to unify the two families. As you can undoubtedly tell, your family and the people they protect were not exactly in favor."

"Because you're all heartless."

"Don't interrupt, my dear. It's not polite," he shook his head slowly, never letting the smirk slide. "When your parents refused, I took some liberties with the boundaries of the estates and made your parents guests at my manor for an indefinite period of time."

When people are about to faint, they gain tunnel vision and their ears sound like everything's underwater. That's a little how I felt when he dropped this particular bit of information. But it didn't last long. I was furious. I'm sure I went from green to red faster than a traffic light.

"You kidnapped my parents." I stood and was halfway across the room before I realized I had moved.

"In truth, they're the first prisoners of war. Right now it's a cold war, no bloodshed as of yet. It's up to you, my darling, to determine this. You can marry me, in effect freeing your parents and peacefully submersing your clan in mine. It would be very cordial. They would all become Vladescus, but could keep their own local governing bodies and whatnot. They would just be under my jurisdiction, rather than your parents'." He stood also, covering the distance between us. My parents also rose.

"And if I refuse?" I almost didn't want to ask, but I had to try to negotiate.

His hand barely ghosted over the ends of my loose hair, down my arm, before he looked me dead in the eyes and said, "Then they'll die, and all of your people will be subjected to my wrath. There will be a war."

I will say that at that moment, I died a little bit inside. There was only one solution. I had known that I probably wasn't going to marry for love. I didn't have illusions about that. But this man was detestable and an enemy of my family. I predicted that my married life would not be a happy one.

"Can I finish out my senior year before we return? I'd really like to." I asked faintly, my eyes on the ground.

Surprisingly softly, his hands cupped my cheeks and raised my face. "Anything you wish, my darling, as long as you're mine."

**A/n: BAHHHHH. I'm working on it, I promise. I'm sorry it took forever to update. I have some hardcore classes this semester, haha. **

**If you have questions, let me know! AU stories are always a little teeny bit confusing, and I know I'm not the best author the world has ever seen, so let me know if you want to know something.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. It's a better reception than I thought I'd get. I've got a few scenarios running around my head that I'm sorting through right now, trying to figure out if they're going to fit into the story. I have a perfect one that I **_**know**_** is going into this story, but I just have to find the right place for it. **

**Disclaiming my right to any of this; it's just for fun for me, and belongs to Beth Fantasky.**

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 4

That night I had a dream. I'll admit I've had my share of dark, violent nightmares that were half-remembered from my days in Romania. I've only been witness to a few instances of bloodshed and fighting but they've worked their way into my subconscious mind.

But this dream, this vivid yet dull, terrifying but somehow completely right dream was about me, not a battlefield or an almost-empty highway. It was about me and my betrothed.

I was running through the corridors of a large manor house, the brackets in the stone walls holding torches whose light flickered over the doorways and bare granite. In some passages it was much narrower, and then I'd rush through another door to a balcony or another room. Sometimes I'd traverse a walkway over an open courtyard with no railings to catch me if I slipped and fell. Every time I came across the open air, it showed me a dark night sky, stars shining brightly against the velvety soft expanse. I could tell it was Romania by the luminosity of the stars – in America, there was so much pollution that even out in the Pennsylvanian countryside where I lived the stars were infinitely duller than in my homeland's skies. I never stopped to enjoy the sight, though, because in this dream there was something watching me. Something watching, following, waiting for me to arrive. All-encompassing paranoia was wrapped around my mind and I had to keep moving unless it grabbed me.

The strangest thing was that I was wearing a blood-red strapless ball gown, a ruffled train flowing out behind me. As I ran down corridors and across entranceways the dress constricted my movements and in the process tangled me within its yards of satin. It was a ridiculously formal dress for what seemed to be no occasion at all. I was not wearing shoes, my hair fell down my back, free of hairpins or ties, and I wore no jewelry on my wrists, fingers, or neck. It made no sense, as I ran through the foreign manor, and only served to completely confuse me.

I stumbled into a door and it took me a moment to realize that I hadn't just flown through the doorway, as I had through the rest of the large castle. It scared me, as the darkness was closing in on me. I struggled with it for several frantic seconds before the heavy oak finally gave way and I nearly fell into the large room.

There was an odd glow to it, as it had floor-to-ceiling windows as one of the walls, and the eerily bright stars shone all around. At the polished dark wood table sat my betrothed, his face half illuminated by the stars and moon outside the window. On the surface in front of him there sat a shining silver tea set, steam slowly rising in spirals from the pot. He watched me as I straightened up, adjusting my dress and trying not to show how his intense gaze affected me. I remember that since our first meeting, I've been slightly afraid of him. I was eight when he was first presented to my parents at our court, but as I had not been presented, I did not meet him then. It's a tradition that goes back generations, but by our lifetimes, it had become a warning of sorts. It was each family's way of showing off what they were raising to be the next ruler. This was the first time in either clan's history that a female child was born the only child, making me the rightful heir, in contrast to the male Vladescu. I was presented weeks before I was smuggled out of Romania, and even then, at age ten, I was terrified of Lucius Vladescu.

He waited until I finished adjusting my dress and then stared into my eyes. He lifted one hand from its resting place on the arm of the chair, turning it palm up before beckoning me towards him with two of his gloved fingers. I glided across the cold stone floor, towards the lighted windows and the mysteriously dark form of Lucius.

As I approached his chair, he turned his face up to me. Motioning towards the shining tea set embossed with his mother's family crest with one hand, he slid his other hand around my back, and murmured, "Serve the tea, darling."

I have been taught the proper decorum for serving tea, for formal and informal occasions. I turned to the set, feeling his hand slide to my hip in a gentle caress. I gently laid out the cups and began to pour, fixing his cup without a thought. I picked it up and turned around, getting myself tangled in his arms. I held out the cup and saucer to him, and watched as his face slid into a dark smirk. Pulling me slowly closer by the hips, he eventually settled me in his lap, my legs straddling his and my voluminous skirt hiked up between and around us. I hadn't spilled a drop of the tea I was holding in my hands.

He again murmured, "Serve the tea, darling," and I leaned into his body, lifting the cup to his lips.

[…]

I woke with a start, gasping in a breath. Was this my fate? I was afraid to even contemplate it.

I rolled over to look at the clock on my nightstand. 4:32 AM. Flopping back into my original position, I didn't know if I would be able to fall back asleep that night. After the discussion with Lucius, I took a bath, crying for an hour or more while the bubbles disappeared around me, until I was in a tub of lukewarm water and seemingly numb. By the time I got dressed and went down to help with dinner, my parents had set Lucius up in the apartment above the garage. He came in for dinner, sitting across from me. I refused to look at him for the rest of the evening.

My life as I knew it was over. I wasn't going to be able to date whomever I pleased – not that they were lining up out the door to get to me, but I had wanted that freedom of choice while I was still in America. I knew I would be married politically, but I never knew it would be under pain of my parents' death and to a man who seemed to be obsessed with owning the Dragomir clan, beginning with me. I guess I'd still had a little faith in fairy tales: I would meet a nice young man at court when I made my reentrance, and we would have a lovely courtship, my parents would approve, and we would rule the clan together.

The long weekend had not been at all what I planned and I dreaded returning to school later that day. It was late March and I had only a few months left until graduation. Mindy would understand the situation, but Lucius would be coming to school with me. I didn't know what he expected of me, whether I would have to remain by his side the entire day or if he would go off and do as he pleased.

It was only 4:45 in the morning, and I was completely stressed out. Not only did I have to worry about the coming day, but thinking back on the dream, I began to worry about my future life. Would we rule as equals or would he demand that I walk three paces behind him? Would he drink tea from my hands as he had in the dream? I never planned on being a domesticated queen. I was trained to be an aggressive ruler, dealing with internal and external issues, even contemplating war. Would I have to give up these musings in exchange for the life of bearing heirs and running the court's ornaments?

I think not. After he releases my parents, he'll find out exactly who he's dealing with.

And with that thought, I slipped back into sleep until my alarm and a dark-haired vampire woke me for school at 7:00.

**A/n: I know it's kind of short, but it just struck me as an interesting topic for her to contemplate. I actually got the idea of the drinking-tea-from-his-wife's-hand from a history class I'm taking. Interesting stuff.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: Here's the next chapter for you. **

**I just wanted to explain a bit about the last chapter, in case you had some questions or didn't understand. I was experimenting a bit with dream perception and symbolism. Jessica was running around the "spider web" of Lucius' ancestral manor home, not her own. She has an undercurrent of fear that everything in her life that she trained for was in vain and that she'll just be the trophy wife of a dark, powerful man, not an aggressive queen in control of her own people. The tea-serving was the symbol of her as a domesticated, subservient ruler, one that knew the motions and performed them, but was in service of another; in this case, her husband. **

**Don't worry too much about it. It was just an experiment to see how it would pan out. I'm working on fine-tuning my fiction style of writing.**

**Disclaimer: I have no claim to **_**Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side**_** and have no monetary gain from this work.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 5

I woke to the sound of slamming dresser drawers and the All American Rejects' "Gives You Hell". At first I thought Mindy had played with the controls on my stereo again, and I burrowed farther into my blankets. Then I heard heavy thuds that were out of synch with the rest of the song and I decided that the Rejects never used that much bass. I pulled my tousled head from my pillows and looked over towards my dresser.

"Good morning, darling. It seems that you are decidedly lacking in clothing appropriate for a princess of a ruling clan." Lucius was dressed in his dark coat and tailored black trousers and looked entirely too awake for seven in the morning. I was naturally befuddled, as I was excluded from the Morning People Club.

I sat up, ran a hand through my hair, and mumbled out a, "What on earth are you blathering on about?" before giving up and flopping back down into bed and closing my eyes. I heard him chuckle and felt the bed shift with his added weight. A hand went to my hair, gently detangling it, and the other was next to my head, holding his weight.

My eyes flew open as I felt the hand in my hair softly slide down my neck.

"Get off. Now."

His smirking face inches from my own, he murmured, "But you look so lovely just lying here in bed. I'd be a sad excuse for a man if I had not the inclination to attempt a seduction while you're at your most vulnerable." With that, I deposited him onto the floor with a rather stealthy lady-like maneuver of the bedclothes.

I rolled over, looking over the side of the bed at him. "And stay down there."

[|…|]

Lucius and I had a very dangerous relationship in the days that he lived with us.

That morning, as I relinquished my warm bed and showered, he took it upon himself to choose my clothing for the day and walked into the bathroom shortly after I had stepped out of the shower. I had my hair up in a towel and was wrapped in a bright blue bath towel that hit rather too far up my thigh to be appropriate for public viewing.

I nearly screamed when I saw him open the door with an arm full of clothing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I couldn't do much but stand by the sink looking angry.

His dark eyes took in the sight of me, bare legs and arms and all. I made an angry, impatient noise, and his eyes snapped up to my own. With an arrogant drawl he explained that he had found something reasonable in my wardrobe and that at the earliest possible time we would be taking a day trip to New York City to shop for a completely new one. He put down his burden on the sink counter near me with his left hand, his right landing on the counter on the other side of my body.

"Have I told you how completely enchanting you are when angry, my darling?" His lips began to curl into the ever-present smirk, and without thinking I leaned against the counter in an innocently seductive pose. He leaned in farther as my hand slid towards the circuit in the wall. I demurred slightly, directing my eyes downwards, covertly looking to see how far away I was from my target. I looked back up to his eyes quickly, and then hoisted myself onto the counter, putting myself closer to his height.

To be honest, I was surprised he played right into my trick. He let out a quiet growl and stepped closer, and in a flash I had the cord of my hair dryer around his neck and his back pressed against my towel-covered chest. At that moment, I was seeing red. My built-up anger from the night before combined with the tension and pressure and worry I'd been feeling over my parents' safety was culminated in the almost over-powering need to brutally murder Lucius Vladescu.

And I honestly am not sure what would have happened had my foster mother not been coming down the hallway at that point. With a loudly exclaimed, "Jessica!" she hurried into the steamy bathroom, prying my hands off of electrical cord. My mother showed her strength in those moments, ordering Lucius out of the bathroom and shutting the door. For five minutes she held me and quietly reminded me of my duties as the heir to the Dragomirs, and how, if I murdered one of the enemies I'd be as much at fault them.

I still felt numb by the time she released me. I went back to my room and threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie before grabbing my school bag and shoes and going downstairs.

My father was making pancakes when I got to the kitchen. I sat down across from Lucius at the table and a self-satisfied smirk of my own slowly crept onto my face when I saw the still-red welt on his neck.

[|…|]

We waited outside the house for Mindy. I rode with her every day to and from school ever since she got her license. Her parents gave her the hand-me-down pick-up truck for her sixteenth birthday.

Standing by the tree at the end of our driveway, Lucius kept throwing me calculated stares while subtly rubbing his neck.

Finally, I turned to face him, arching an eyebrow. "Problems, Lucius?"

His eyes seemed to go completely black for a moment. In those few seconds, I was more afraid than I have ever been before in my life. There was something about those dark, endless pits that made me want to crawl into a safe place and hide for eternity.

I had been leaning against the trunk of the old oak tree and at his almost imperceptible advance I slid away from the hard wood behind me, backing up slightly towards the house. Both of my parents had left already to attend to business, but I knew where the firearms were kept if I needed them.

Then the sound of Mindy's monstrosity was heard, and after a glance over his shoulder, Lucius looked back at me, and said, "You'll be sure to pay for this morning." He turned towards the approaching truck. My mind flashed to my parents, a long-distance call away in his manor. He probably had men by their chambers around the clock, and who would be only too happy to inflict some form of punishment on the couple for a fault of mine.

I quickly went to his side, "Wait! Please, you caught me by surprise this morning. Don't do anything to my parents."

He spun, grabbing a hold of my upper arms and leaning into my neck. He murmured, "As I said, you'll be sure to pay for it."

Mindy tapped the horn and I turned my face towards her, confusion spelled out on her face. I quickly broke away from Lucius' hold and grabbed my book bag, making my way to her truck. Lucius picked up his own bag and followed, keeping his eyes on me.

**A/n: Mehh. Okay, possibly. Worse than the other few chapters, but I really wanted to show how quickly Jessica gets set off, and how angry she really gets. I think she has a lot of potential to become as psychotic as Lucius in the book, and I really wanted to explore that.**

**Thanks again for all of the great reviews!**


	6. My dearest readers,

**I'm very, very sorry to all of my lovely readers who have supported this story. I just do not have time or the inspiration to continue writing this story. I liked what I was writing – it was a fun diversion from the book, and I enjoyed it – but I really can't finish it, for various reasons.**

**I'm glad so many of you liked it, and because of that, I'm leaving you with this, which wasn't supposed to show up for a couple of chapters. It's one of my favorites, as you see below in the original author's note. **

**This will be left up for a week or two before I delete my account. Again, I am so glad people loved this story, and I'm so sorry that I am leaving it. **

**A/n: This is probably one of my favorite scenes to write, just because it's how I imagined Jessica to come into her own as a powerful woman. She rocks. Haha.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim rights to **_**Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side**_**.**

Chapter

At the end of a long day, I headed back to my locker. I had had to stay after for Matheletes in which I had an upcoming match, on top of a pop quiz in English and a test in Science. I was not a happy camper. I had also seen Lucius and Faith getting a little too cozy at different points in the day. Speaking of which, as I leaned against my locker, working on the combination with my eyes closed, I heard the shrieking laugh of the diabolical blonde cheerleader. Swinging the door of my locker open, I stood there for a minute, just leaning and thinking and listening. It was far after the end of the day, and Lucius knew that he didn't have to wait for me because of Matheletes. There must have been cheerleading practice, and that little twit somehow got him to meet her after. I noticed that if I pushed my locker door open just the slightest bit, I could see in the mounted mirror the two of them around the corner, both leaning on their shoulders against the lockers, facing each other.

I knew my true nature was slowly coming out, but this experience was totally unexpected. Though, I will admit, I did like it a bit.

Without my brain really noticing, my body began to act on its own: dropping my backpack to the floor I shrugged out of my zip-up hoodie and stashed it in the main pocket, my hands tugged my hair out of its scrunchie and fluffed and tousled it so that I had slight sex hair, I pulled a tube of lipgloss out of my locker and smeared some on, throwing it back onto a shelf, and my hands swiftly unbuttoned the first few on my fitted plaid blouse until I the last barely covered the band on my bra. Realizing what I was doing, I looked in the mirror, reaching up to smooth down my hair; I heard that annoying shriek again. Redirecting my hands, I reached into my locker for my kohl black eyeliner instead, defining my eyes in a way I had only seen in magazines, but never tried myself. I looked down at my tight skinny jeans – well, Lucius had himself to blame for those. Stashing my backpack for later pick-up, I slammed my locker door, stuffing my phone in my pocket. I headed around the corner of the hallway, sauntering in only the way a princess could.

"Aye, Packwood! Who let you out of your house looking like that? You know, there are some bad, bad boys around here…" There were a couple of football players coming down the hall from the library. The taller, better looking of the two had called out to me. They had stopped by a locker on the right side of the hall, leaning against it. I swayed my hips over to them, knowing that I had their, and Lucius', full attention.

"Well, boys, if I weren't already attached, I'd be very interested in getting to know the bad, bad boys around here." I stood close to them, playing the flirt that they've never seen before.

"You look good, Packwood. You should come hang with us later," said the second jock. They both had their arms crossed over their chests and grins on their faces.

"Sorry, boys, but I need to go take care of something." I let my eyes slowly swivel down the hall towards Lucius, who was now standing rigid, not paying attention to Faith.

The football players followed my glance. "Oh, babe, you shouldn't be worrying about Basketball Star. He's got Blondie all chatted up. You should spend your time on guys who like dark-haired chicks with style." The first jock winked at me, playing with a piece of my hair.

I laughed loudly. "Oh, if only I could. But I really must be off. Although, just a suggestion – keep up whatever it is you're doing, because you boys are really damn fine." With a stroke of their biceps and a wink, I was off, swinging my hips down the hall. I heard them call after me in good humor, but I kept going, zeroing in on my target: my philandering betrothed.

I could see the murder in his eyes when I approached the happy little couple. "Hey Vladescu, can I have a word?" I practically purred out his name. I honestly don't know where any of this came from, but it was pretty effective. He turned to Faith, and with minimal effort he had her flouncing off with a glare over her shoulder at me.

I turned and watched as she walked down the hall, past the football players, and I waited until all three had gone from the hall, leaving us alone, before turning back to Lucius.

He had been staring, I knew, at my slightly disheveled appearance. His hand was sneakily coming towards my hips, and I leaned into him, hands on his arms, pushing him against the lockers.

"Now, Lucius, I've been hearing some very bad things about you and Miss Cross lately. That you've been seeing each other romantically." I stroked his biceps, much like I had the football players'. He was watching my face carefully as my hands slid up to his shoulders.

"Yes, well, _Miss Cross_ is an attractive, if not exactly interesting girl." That smirk… at the moment, I was getting revenge for that damn smirk.

"You see, Lucius, I have a bit of a problem with this situation." I slammed his back against the lockers so hard there was a ringing up and down the hall from the metal striking metal. "The way I see it, I'm not allowed to become friendly with guys, then you, by God, are not allowed to be friendly with girls. You're being sexist, and frankly, a selfish bastard."

In a quick movement I was pressed against the cold metal myself, his dark eyes nearly black. But I refused to show my fear, shoving him back. "I refuse to be restricted when you don't feel the need to follow those same rules. If you screw around on me, starting now and throughout our marriage, I promise you, good luck having an heir." I spun on my heel to march back to my locker, when he grabbed my upper arm and practically threw me against the lockers again.

"You, my _dear_, have no say in the matter. I don't know if perhaps you've forgotten, but your parents are in my custody. You can make no demands." He leaned down, arms braced on either side of my head.

"Oh, Lucius, I very much do. As I said, if you are unfaithful, you don't deserve to get an heir from me."

He pressed our bodies together against the cold metal.

"You know that I am much stronger than you. If need be, I will not hesitate to overpower you to procreate."

I laughed darkly. "You don't know what you're dealing with, Lucius. There's such a thing as birth control, abortion -"

"Both of which you will not be allowed to go anywhere near."

"Darling, I could also cut off your manhood while you slept." Roughly shoving him away, I stalked away, throwing over my shoulder, "I'd love to see you try and stop me, _love_."


End file.
